David J. Rose

By djrose007

Conflicting Views?

Walking Ziggy gave me two interesting photographs, not in themselves but put together they certainly have a conflicting view, or do they?
Top photograph shows 7 white doves, they seem to love nesting underneath the solar panels, I've noticed them on many roofs with these panels. There is also a couple of darker ones to the left, with white markings so maybe they had been infiltrated by wood pigeons!
Doves, of course, are a sign often used to signify peace.
On the other hand, and in the other photograph, Ziggy's coat (previously Jonty's) has a patch showing the UK's Nuclear Deterrent aircraft during the 60's and 70's. Vulcan, Victor and Valiant bombers. Hardly a sign of peace you might think but these three aircraft ensured that the MAD agreement was maintained, and we did not have a nuclear world war III.
MAD being an agreement that if we went to war with the Soviet Union (USSR) there would be Mutually Assured Destruction, with the likely outcome being devastation with no winning country, and possibly the end of civilisation as we know it. I also have a mutual interest in the V-Force, as it was known. for two years I was mostly working in the radio room communicating with these aircraft by Morse Code and Voice.
The patch features a larger image of the Avro Vulcan B2 bomber XH558 as it was flying longer than any of the other V-Bombers. After being used as a display aircraft, by the Royal Air Force, it went into retirement in 1992. It was then taken into private ownership with the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and started flying again, thrilling 10's of thousands of people at air shows, in 2007. I volunteered with VTTS for four years, 2011 to 2015, which is when she was grounded in the October.
Extra is a photo I took of her flying over Gloucestershire (Staverton) airport 6 June 2015 on one of her final round UK flights to say goodbye to the many places that had a part in her life. I was at Staverton with VTTS and a couple of other volunteers, and Lennon - who is now 18 years old and called Stanley!

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